TREATMENT PHILOSOPHY

      The field of psychology offers many theories and approaches to working with clients.  These theories and approaches are not meant to be a straightjacket.  They are ways of thinking about how the client operates in the world.  Each is a tool, a technique, or orientation that may be useful at specific times in the therapy, and in dealing with specific issues that appear during the course of therapy.  In the same way that one cannot use the same tool for all aspects of a specific project (a hammer for instance in all aspects of building a house), a therapist cannot use the same theoretical orientation for all the varied and unique aspects of undertaking therapy with an individual.  Therapy is a process, it is a journey taken by the client and therapist together in which new discoveries are made that positively change and enrich the life of the client and better prepare them for both the challenges in their past and their future.

      Because therapy is a process, it requires effort on the part of the client.  It requires your active involvement, honesty and openness in order to change your thoughts, feelings and behaviour.  During the course of therapy, I will ask for your feedback and views on your therapy, its progress, and other aspects of the therapy – I will expect you to respond honestly and openly.  During evaluation and therapy, remembering or talking about unpleasant events, feelings and thoughts can result in your experiencing considerable discomfort or strong feelings of anger, sadness, worry, fear, etc.  I may challenge some of your assumptions or perceptions or propose different ways of looking at, thinking about, or handling situations.  This may cause you to feel upset, angry, depressed, challenged, or disappointed.  Attempting to resolve the issues that brought you to therapy in the first place, such a personal and interpersonal relationships, may result in changes that were not originally intended.  Psychotherapy may result in decisions about changing behaviours, employment, substance use, schooling, housing or relationships.  Sometimes a decision which is positive for one family member is viewed quite negatively by another family member.  Change will sometimes be easy and swift, but more often it will be slow and even frustrating.  There is no guarantee that psychotherapy will yield positive or intended results.  During the course of therapy I will draw on various psychological approaches according, in part, to the problems being treated and my assessment of what will benefit you.  These approaches include:  behavioural, cognitive-behavioural, family systems, psychodynamic, developmental, EMDR, Mindfulness, existential, psycho-educational, and object relations.